Read Listening to Stanley Kubrick Online
Authors: Christine Lee Gengaro
This is a list of the “superb material” Kubrick chose, as it appears on the original soundtrack album (two cues missing from the soundtrack will be discussed at the end of the chapter):
Barry Lyndon: Original Soundtrack Album
Side A
National Philharmonic Orchestra; Leonard Rosenman, arr. and cond.
Chieftans
Waterford Glass Band
Chieftans
Paddy Moloney and Sean Potts
Fifes and Drums, Rosenman, arr. and cond.
Leonard Rosenman, cond.
Fifes and Drums, Rosenman, arr. and cond.
Derek Bell, harp
EMI Records
National Philharmonic Orchestra, Rosenman, arr. and cond.
Side B
Leslie Pearson, arr. and cond.
National Philharmonic Orchestra, Rosenman, arr. and cond
National Philharmonic Orchestra, Rosenman, arr. and cond
National Philharmonic Orchestra, Rosenman, arr. and cond
Pierre Fournier, Cello, Festival Strings, Lucerne, Ralph Baumgartner, cond. Deutsche Grammophon
Karl Richter and Hedwig Bilgram, harpsichords, and the
Munich Bach-Orchestra, Deutsche Grammophon
Ralph Holmes, Violin; Moray Welsh, Cello; Anthony Goldstone, Piano; Rosenman, arr.
National Philharmonic Orchestra, Rosenman, arr. and cond.
Making the Chosen Music Fit
Once Kubrick had a rough idea of the music he wanted for the film, the challenge was fitting the cues into the shots without compromising the integrity of each cue. As Jan Harlan explained, Kubrick did not want a cue that had to be awkwardly cut or faded.
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For those works that were arranged, Kubrick had more control over the length of each cue; however, in some cases, Kubrick used the cue in more than one place in the film, each place requiring different timings. Many of the papers in the
Barry Lyndon
files of the Kubrick archive in London deal with the challenge of making the music fit. There are packets of papers discussing the cues, where they will start and end in the film, where the arrangements should be recorded, and other considerations. The following are some excerpts from these notes.
After the duel between Redmond and Quin, notes read, “After Quinn [sic] is Dead 1 min 4 2/3 second; This would be a bigger version of the Sarabande, starting after ‘Is he dead?’ and ending on the long shot kissing Mother.” For the appearance of “Lilliburlero” the note reads:
Tony [film editor Tony Lawson] has to work the length back to the front of the ship shot, to make sure the beat falls correctly on the first shot of the marching. There should be a ruffle of drums on the first cut of the prow of this ship. SK [Stanley Kubrick] to discuss with Leonard. The music should last 20 secs. longer than the scene requirements.
One note refers to a “Love Theme—Violin Version.” Although it is not clear what this “Love Theme” is, the note explains that “The Sea-Maiden” could be used instead:
Version of March 10, 1975 has, for 8 M 4 [reel]—Love Theme—Violin Version
1. Starts while Chevalier is reading the letter, and ends at the end of the scene.
2. Tony and SK to select exact place and check it against the music. We are well covered with the music
3. An alternative piece of music would be to use the “Sea-maiden” if the Love Theme sounds corny.
For the appearance of
Idomeneo
that accompanies Redmond’s escape from Prussia, the notes explain how precisely the cue must be timed:
1. To be backed in from the coach drive-away, and to start as Ryan gets in.
2. This is a dubious music cue, and will have to be heard to be believed.
3. If we use it, we will use the EMI recording.
G. F. Handel:
Sarabande
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Appearances:
0:00:04–0:00:55 Opening credits (strings and continuo version)
0:21:09–0:25:06 Duel variation—for the Duel with John Quin
0:25:07–0:25:55 Harpsichord variation—Barry rides away from his home after duel
2:20:27–2:25:03 Barry teaches Bryan fencing; Barry buys Bryan a horse
2:26:55–2:30:29 Low strings variation—Bryan dying after the accident
2:30:29–2:31:41 Variation with drums—Bryan’s funeral (slight alteration at the end)
2:31:41–2:33:26 Quieter variation—Barry’s drinking problem and Lady Lyndon’s devotion
2:39:40–2:50:44 Duel variation—Lord Bullingdon demands a duel with Barry
2:53:32–2:54:25 Injured Barry plays cards with his mother
3:01:15–3:04:36 Big version, solo string version, full orchestra and drums—continues over credits
Handel composed numerous suites for keyboard. A suite is simply a collection of stylized dances, and the sarabande is a dance in a triple meter. The particular sarabande in
Barry Lyndon
is part of Handel’s Keyboard Suite in D Minor, which was published in the 1730s, though, as is common of many of Handel’s keyboard works, it is difficult to determine an exact date of composition. Most of his keyboard works were written before 1720, likely meant for teaching and intended for private use. The Suite in D Minor has five parts: Prelude, Allemande (a duple meter dance supposedly from the German tradition, hence the name), Courante (a slow, triple meter dance), Sarabande, and Gigue (a lively triple or compound meter dance). Handel composed the theme of this sarabande with two variations, using the so-called folia chord progression as a basis. This succession of chords is often attributed to French Baroque composer Jean Baptiste Lully (although of Italian descent, he reached his greatest fame as the court composer for King Louis XIV). The folia structure certainly predates Lully, but his version in 1672 is one of the most famous. An earlier folia exists, but it was the later version that was used by many of the best-known composers of the Baroque period: Corelli, Scarlatti, Geminiani, Vivaldi, and, of course, Bach. Later composers who revisited the folia are Liszt in the nineteenth century and Rachmaninoff in the twentieth century.
Handel’s sarabande is a simple tune, just sixteen measures long, but through Rosenman’s different arrangements achieves a number of different emotional states. Variations of the piece occupy more than thirty minutes in the film. One single cue lasts eleven minutes. The opening credits and closing credits are accompanied by the sarabande, providing a dramatic opening and close to the film. In the first half of the film, we hear the sarabande three times: the opening credits, the duel with Captain Quin, and Redmond’s departure from home. It does not appear again until almost two hours later, as Redmond teaches his son to fence. It draws the beginning section of the film to the end section of the film, bookending them. This bookending feature is something Kubrick exploited with Schubert’s Piano Trio as well.
One version, featuring low strings (playing pizzicato) and tremolo accents, is used twice in the film, in both cases to accompany the scenes of duels. In a way, the scenes are mirror images of each other, and the music draws them together. In the first, at the beginning of the film, Redmond Barry demands satisfaction from the Englishman Captain John Quin. The issue at hand is Quin’s proposal to Redmond’s cousin, Nora, with whom Redmond is in love. The tremolo accents seem to underline the nervousness of the participants, especially Quin, who is visibly shaken and does not seem to want to go through with the duel. Redmond seems braver and in fact successfully shoots his opponent. What Redmond does not know is that Nora’s family rigged the duel in order to ensure the financial support of Captain Quin. Redmond hits him not with a musket ball but with a plug of tow—flax or hemp fibers. Convinced by Nora’s brothers that he has killed Quin (who faints upon being “shot”), the sarabande plays through one more cycle, although in the harpsichord version.
In the mirror duel scene at the end of the film, Barry Lyndon (as he is now known) is the one challenged, this time by his stepson, Lord Bullingdon (an event that does not occur in the original source material). Again, Barry seems less shaky than his opponent, who is not only visibly nervous but vomits when it is time for him to stand his ground. Again, the tremolo accents in the sarabande cue provide a musical analogue to Bullingdon’s nerves. Bullingdon’s first shot misfires, but Barry does not shoot him, instead firing into the ground. Rather than allowing that act to settle the matter, Bullingdon takes a second shot, this time hitting Barry in the leg, which must be amputated below the knee.
The sarabande is heard in a scene in which Barry is teaching his beloved son, Bryan, how to fight with a sword. The appearance of the cue in this context may perhaps be a reference to Redmond’s duel with Quin as a young man. This version of the sarabande, with the cello as soloist, lends a sense of foreboding to the otherwise lighthearted scenes of Barry doting on his son. The narrator confirms this feeling of foreboding by saying, “Fate had determined that [Barry] should leave none of his race behind him. And that he should finish his life poor, lonely, and childless.” The music continues as Bryan asks his father for a horse. A violin solo takes up the tune and the cello returns as Lady Lyndon tells Bryan not to ride unless he is with his father. Barry further warns him that he will be flogged if he goes to see the horse before his birthday. The cue ends as Mr. Runt enters Barry’s room presumably the next day to tell him that Bryan was not in his bed in the morning. The music begins again, violin and low strings together as Bryan lies injured, paralyzed except in his hands. Barry assures him that he will recover from the accident, but the child seems to know that he is dying. He asks his parents not to quarrel so that they can all be reunited in heaven.
A passionate version of the sarabande, with full orchestra and timpani, accompanies the scene of young Bryan’s funeral procession. His white coffin rides in the same golden carriage that carried him at his birthday party. A quieter version accompanies the aftermath of the tragedy: Barry’s drinking problem and Lady Lyndon’s fervent religious devotion. The use of the sarabande over the end credits ties the film together, and we understand that the elements of this story have formed a dramatic, tragic tale.
Sean Ó Riada: “Women of Ireland”
Appearances:
0:02:08–0:06:16 Nora hides a ribbon on her person for Barry to find
0:09:35–0:13:16 Barry and Nora talk the woods; Barry makes trouble for Nora with Quin
0:15:30–0:17:03 (Harp version) Dinner in which Quin and Nora announce their engagement
0:55:47–0:58:01 (Harp version) Barry meets a woman on his way to Holland
This particular cue seems to represent Redmond Barry’s youth in Ireland and his early romances. It accompanies the very first scene of the film, in which Redmond and cousin Nora are playing a game of cards. She hides some ribbon in her cleavage and bids Redmond to find it. He is too shy to look for it, but she gives him a hint and guides his hand to it. They share a kiss afterward. Later, Redmond and Nora walk in the woods and talk while a lonely fiddle plays the tune in the background. Redmond is upset that Nora has given her attentions to Captain Quin, and Nora’s explanation—that Quin is a man while Redmond is only a boy—further agitates the young man. The music continues with the addition of tin whistle and other fiddles, while the captain courts Nora in a field. Redmond marches up to them, giving Nora back her ribbon. The image here, of Redmond and Nora against a backdrop of rolling green hills, is visually stunning, and the play of light and shadows in the scenery behind them suggests a landscape painting. Quin, suspicious of their relationship, attempts to leave, and it is on his angry reaction that the song stops. Nora’s brothers patch up the situation offscreen, and in the next scene, the harp version of “Women of Ireland”—featuring harpist Derek Bell—plays as Redmond joins the family for dinner. The cue plays on, with other instruments added, as Nora and Redmond exchange glances over the table. The music ends just as Redmond’s uncle stands to announce Nora and Quin’s engagement. Redmond, who is unwilling to allow this to stand, challenges Quin to a duel.
The harp version of “Women of Ireland” is heard once more in the film, when Redmond—after having escaped from the British service—meets up with a woman on his way to Holland, a neutral place during the Seven Years’ War. The harp version of the song plays as they join hands, and she asks him to stay with her for a few days. They share a tearful goodbye some unspecified time later. There is a melancholy air about the music, and it perfectly complements the sadness of Redmond and the woman parting ways. The yearning quality of the music evokes in one instance the frustrations of young love and Redmond’s desire for Nora and, in the other instance, Redmond’s sadness upon leaving the young woman.
Although the song sounds—to the ears of those unfamiliar with Irish music—as though it could be a traditional folk song from the eighteenth century, it has been attributed to Seán Ó Riada, an Irish composer and musician, who likely penned the song in the 1960s. Although the cues in the film are instrumental, Ó Riada set an eighteenth-century poem by Peader Ó Dornín to the tune. Ó Riada, whose early career was centered upon composition using modes and twelve-tone techniques, became heavily involved in Irish folk music around 1960. He arranged, orchestrated, and performed many folk songs with a band he formed called Ceoltóirí Cualann. The ensemble consisted of piano and harpsichord (to mimic the traditional Irish harp, the clarsach), flute, pipes, tin whistles, accordion, fiddle, and bodhrán, a shallow frame drum. In addition to the arrangement, performance, and recording of preexistent Irish songs, Ó Riada composed new songs in a traditional style.